Measuring the Degree of Politicization of Intelligence Data

Abstract

The politicization of intelligence and how it leads to failures in intelligence have been recognized for many years. Those who lead the intelligence community have also been staunch advocates against politicization. Nevertheless, the intelligence community has always been influenced by policymakers at various stages of the intelligence cycle. This chapter discusses politicization and presents a model to determine the degree of politicization qualitatively/quantitatively. The recognition of five factors related to politicization and the use of a simple scale would enable the intelligence team to determine the extent of politicization and insulate each stage of the intelligence cycle. This chapter also applies the new model to two instances where politicization has occurred.